The weeks had blurred together in creative dedication and their continuous work.
Day after day, the small apartment had transformed into a bustling creative laboratory. The morning light would usually find Jason hunched over his laptop, fingers across the keyboard, while Izumi would be bent over her drawing tablet.
The final week had been particularly intense. Jason's eyes, rimmed with the signs of countless late-night coding sessions. His usually neat hair had become increasingly disheveled as their set deadline approached, and empty coffee cups had accumulated on his desk like small shrines to his dedication.
Beside him, Izumi had worked with equal passion. The final computer-generated illustrations, those crucial CG scenes that would be the emotional and visual climax of the gaming experience had needed every ounce of her artistic skill.
The audio integration had been another mountain to climb.
Jason had spent countless hours synchronizing sound effects, background music, and character voices with the visual elements, ensuring that most acoustic component enhanced rather than distracted from the overall experience.
Now, after more than a month of intensive collaboration, Jason sat back in his chair and gazed at the computer screen with an expression of pure success.
The generated game source files glowed on his monitor like digital treasures, representing hundreds of hours of effort, and determination.
"Mission accomplished!" Jason said, his voice carrying a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration.
Izumi, who had been organizing her art supplies and saving her final illustration files to multiple backup locations, looked up from her drawing tablet with eyes that sparkled with excitement.
Her long hair, which had been pulled back into a ponytail during the final push, outlined her face in a way that highlighted the satisfaction written across her facial features.
"So now we need to find a game publisher?" She asked, her voice carrying the eager anticipation as this was their work they had spent countless hours and over a month to develop.
She had even discovered aspects of game development that fascinated her.
"No," Jason replied gently, shaking his head.
"Uh-Why??" Izumi's eyebrows lifted in genuine surprise, her head tilting slightly in the unconscious gesture.
Although her understanding of the gaming industry remained somewhat limited despite their month of collaboration, she had naturally assumed that Jason's next step would follow the traditional pattern she understood from other creative industries.
Just like aspiring manga artists seeking publishers for their work, or independent filmmakers searching for distributors to bring their movies to theaters, shouldn't Jason be pursuing publishers who could help bring their game to market?
The logic seemed straightforward and obvious, which made his refusal all more perplexing.
"Games are different from traditional media," Jason explained patiently, recognizing her confusion and wanting to ensure she understood the unique aspects of digital game distribution. "Also, we won't be using local national or regional platforms. Instead, we'll be launching directly on international gaming platforms that specialize in our type of content."
He paused, organizing his thoughts to provide the clearest possible explanation. "Domestic platforms can certainly be accessed directly without intermediaries, but that's not the right strategy for our type of game."
"There's really no choice in the matter when you consider the content we've created," Jason continued. "It's similar to the doujinshi market—independent creators often find more success and freedom on overseas platforms that cater to specialized audiences. 'Huniepop' is definitely an 18+ game, and this type of content exists in a rather awkward category."
"Then why did you still choose to make this type of game, Jason?" She asked, her voice carrying genuine curiosity mixed with a bit of concern.
The question showed the worry that had been building in her mind.
According to his explanation, it seemed like their game might face many barriers to success before it even had a chance to find its audience.
Though, if she was being completely honest with herself, there was a small part of her that wouldn't be entirely disappointed if the game struggled to find commercial success. Such an outcome would mean that Jason would fulfill their agreement and become her assistant.
However, Izumi's feelings had undergone a significant transformation during their month of collaboration.
Her initial opinion of Jason that was formed during their awkward coffee shop meeting when she had viewed him as a somewhat desperate junior seeking free labor had evolved. She had witnessed his work ethic, his creative vision, his problem-solving abilities, and his unwavering dedication to bringing their project to life.
Moreover, their collaboration had provided her with some details into the gaming industry.
Perhaps most importantly, this project contained her own hard work, creativity, and artistic vision.. She had invested too much of herself in "Huniepop" to wish for its failure, regardless of what that might mean for her future working relationship with Jason.
"You have to approach these things strategically and take them one step at a time," Jason replied with a slight smile. "I've made thorough preparations for 'Huniepop's' future. Senpai, just wait for my good news. I'll definitely give you a substantial bonus when the sales numbers start rolling in!"
"Alright, then I'll be waiting to see what happens," Izumi responded, looking at Jason's confident demeanor with a mixture of curiosity and mild confusion.
Several days later, in a residential complex located in the peaceful suburbs of Niigata City, a very different conversation was taking place.
The afternoon sun streamed through large windows into Izumi's decorated living room, where modern furniture mixed harmoniously with traditional Japanese design elements.
A woman was reclining comfortably on Izumi's sofa. This was Rosy, Izumi's longtime friend and someone who considered herself an expert in the gaming development industry despite her track record saying something else.
"Izumi, won't you really consider helping me with my next project?" Rosy asked enthusiastically. "Your artistic abilities combined with my game design experience and industry knowledge—we could definitely make a significant name for ourselves in the gaming industry!"
Rosy's voice carried the skillful pitch of someone who had made this same argument multiple times.
Looking at Rosy's enthusiastic expression and energetic gestures, Izumi carefully set down her glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the coffee table.
The thoughtful nature of the action said she was buying time to express her response carefully.
At this moment, she felt like she could genuinely understand the position Jason had been in during their initial coffee shop meeting—the position of someone being approached by an eager friend whose enthusiasm might exceed their practical capabilities.
"Rosy, I don't mean to be discouraging or unsupportive," Izumi began tactfully, her tone gentle but direct, "but you've developed five separate games over the past two years, and it seems like every single one of them has lost money rather than generating profit, correct?"
She rolled her eyes with exasperation which was a gesture softened by genuine concern rather than harsh judgment.
Previously, Izumi's knowledge of the gaming industry had been practically nonexistent, making her vulnerable to Rosy's confident statements about market opportunities and development strategies.
However, after working intensively on game development with Jason for over a month—though her specific role hadn't been much different from her usual illustration work involving drawing characters and scenes rather than learning programming or game mechanics, she had absorbed considerable knowledge about the industry.
This brand-new understanding had led to some realizations about her friend's claims of expertise.
Upon closer examination, Rosy, who had previously impressed Izumi with industry jargon and confident predictions, hadn't actually managed to create a single game that achieved financial break-even, let alone generated the substantial profits she often discussed in theoretical terms.
"The next project will definitely be a massive hit!" Rosy said with the unshakeable confidence of someone whose optimism remained undisturbed by repeated setbacks. "As long as you agree to help me, Izumi, I know we can create something truly special that will capture the market's attention!"
"Hold on a moment," Izumi interjected with the practiced tone of someone who had heard similar promises before. "Didn't Aunt Liza make it very clear to you that she wouldn't be investing any additional money once the initial startup funds were completely exhausted? So Rosy, how exactly are you planning to finance this ambitious new project...?"
She looked at the confident Rosy with an expression that mixed skepticism with genuine curiosity.
"Ahem, well, speaking of projects," Rosy coughed lightly, changing the topic, "how's that game your junior classmate is developing? Has he managed to find a suitable publisher yet? I could potentially help by making some industry introductions if that would be useful."
"That won't be necessary, but thank you for the offer," Izumi replied, shaking her head while recalling her previous conversation with Jason about distribution strategies. "Jason mentioned that he plans to launch directly on international platforms without seeking traditional game publishers as intermediaries."
"Not seeking publishers? That approach seems very disadvantageous from a marketing perspective," Rosy said with the authoritative tone of someone who had 'hard-won' industry experience. "Without third-party platform resources for promotion campaigns, and relying solely on international platform new release recommendations for visibility, it becomes extremely difficult to stand out in an overcrowded marketplace unless the game quality is first class and generates viral interest."
"Um, actually, Rosy," Izumi said, her brow furrowing slightly as she tried to recall the specific details from the conversation with Jason, "he mentioned that the game apparently won't qualify for new release inclusion on most platforms, and he's specifically targeting overseas platforms for distribution."
Her words had a note of uncertainty, as if she wasn't entirely sure she had understood or remembered all the details correctly.
"No new release inclusion? Overseas platforms specifically? Oh my god—18+ adult content games!" Rosy's eyes widened with the sudden recognition of someone who had just solved a puzzle. "No wonder he sought you out for artistic collaboration, Izumi. But honestly, your junior classmate is being incredibly naive about market realities—purely adult-oriented games are notoriously difficult to make commercially successful."
Rosy's understanding of the gaming industry, while not turning into personal success, was enough to immediately recognize the implications of Jason's distribution strategy.
Even games featuring blood, violence, and mature themes would typically receive platform new release recommendations as long as the content wasn't excessively graphic or controversial.
However, games that couldn't launch on domestic, regional, and local platforms, required overseas distribution channels, and were excluded from new release inclusion typically fell into one very specific category: adult content games that pushed beyond standard rating classifications.
"Really? I'm sure Jason must have his own plans and strategies, right?" Izumi responded with some uncertainty, thinking of Jason's confident demeanor during their recent conversation. "And 'Huniepop' isn't purely an 18+ adult game—it actually features fairly rich story content, character development, and engaging gameplay mechanics too."
"How could I not understand these market dynamics?" Rosy replied with the confidence of someone whose theoretical knowledge far exceeded her practical achievements. "From everything you've described, your junior's artistic and technical skills aren't inferior to yours, correct? He specifically sought you out because he wanted to rely on high-quality art as the primary selling point, but games simply cannot succeed based purely on artistic merit alone, regardless of how stunning the visuals might be."
She leaned forward. "As for story content and gameplay depth? What kind of meaningful content can adult-oriented games realistically provide that would uplift them above their nature?"
"This assessment comes from someone with professional game development experience!" Rosy added insistently, as if her credentials needed reinforcement. "Plus, without new release inclusion benefits and lacking third-party publisher support, unless he invests in large-scale advertising campaigns himself—which seems unlikely given what you've told me about his financial situation—it's very likely that the game won't even create a small ripple in the vast ocean of available games."
"So, Rosy," Izumi asked, looking directly at her confidently speaking friend, "do you think that game could realistically sell over one hundred thousand copies?"
"Impossible!" Rosy said without hesitation.
Although she hadn't actually seen the game that Izumi had participated in creating, Rosy still confidently delivered what she considered a realistic verdict for the project's commercial prospects.
After all, based on the limited information she had—low-budget independent development, absence of traditional publisher support, adult content classification, only two people involved in the entire production process, and the additional detail that the other collaborator appeared to be an aspiring manga artist whose game industry experience consisted mostly of occasional outsourcing work rather than complete development expertise—the mathematical probability of success seemed nearly nonexistent.
Adult content games, while theoretically having access to a large potential user base also faced absolutely enormous competition within their specialized category.
The market was oversaturated with similar products, many created by teams with significantly more resources, experience, and marketing capabilities.
Given this combination of limiting factors, how could such a uncertain collaboration possibly create a breakthrough success that would stand out in an intensely competitive marketplace?
Rosy's confidence in her assessment was strengthened by personal experience. She had personally developed five games herself that had failed to achieve commercial success, providing her with knowledge of exactly how difficult and challenging this industry could be for independent developers lacking significant resources and industry connections.
"While one hundred thousand copies is absolutely impossible," she continued in a slightly more moderate tone, perhaps recognizing that her initial assessment might have been unnecessarily harsh,
"Adult content games generally maintain relatively low price points to attract buyers, and with your artistic skill level providing high-quality visual enhancement, if the overall production quality isn't completely terrible, maybe ten thousand in total sales could be realistically expected—at least the project wouldn't result in total financial losses."
"I see," Izumi responded quietly, her expression showing the first signs of genuine worry.